Cotton bale tie buckle



July 22, 1958 c. B. BRUBAKER 2,843,905

COTTONBALE TIE BUCKLE Filed March 26, 1954 INVENTOR. CZ4ENC a. aeuamree Arr-mews VS United States Patent COTTON BALE Tm BUCKLE Clarence B. Brubaker, Memphis, Tenn.; Virgil J. Bailey and W. J. Chiapella, administrators of said Clarence B. Brubaker, deceased.

Application March 26, 1954, Serial No. 418,881

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-200) This invention relates to an improved bale buckle especially designed to secure together the ends of bale bands for cotton bales which are compressed to standard or high densities.

Heretofore buckles of this kind which are now available on the open market have been stamped out of steel bars especially designed for each buckle, or have been constructed of drawn steel wire. Such buckles have been expensive to manufacture because much metal is wasted in the stamping operation, and additionally, both types of buckles possess but little strength relative to the amount of steel used in their production. Furthermore, in most cases the buckles now available on the market have sharp corners and snags which tend to cut and rip the bale tie bands.

The importance of providing a buckle superior to those now available on the market may be emphasized and underscored by pointing to the fact that most exported baled cotton is pressed to high densities and is calipered at the port of entry to determine the loss in density of the bales while en route. Now, if because of breakage or pulling out of a buckle, the exporting company is held responsible for the loss in density of the bales, and if the buckle must be replaced, the cost of the replacement is relatively expensive.

Thus, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved cotton bale tie buckle which obviates the undesirable characteristics and features of the presently used buckles referred to above.

Another object of this invention is to provide a buckle of this kind which is manufactured from drawn steel wire, thereby eliminating much of the metal wastage normally incurred in making such buckles, and which has improved holding qualities to and which will test about two thousand four hundred pounds on the scales as compared with about one thousand eight hundred pounds obtainable by the present buckles now in use.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a drawn steel wire cotton bale tie buckle with increased strength at certain vital points whereby the high density of cotton bales will be retained.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved buckle which accommodates high density cotton bales, and which may be smoothly and easily tied.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a cotton bale tie buckle constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the buckle shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the buckle shown in Figuresl and 2, the buckle being shown as connecting the ends of a cotton bale band; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional ice view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, reference numerall designates, in general, a cotton bale tie buckle constructed in accordance with this invention. The buckle 1 is formed from relatively rigid but resilient drawn steel wire and is substantially C-shaped in configuration.

As seen in the drawing, the buckle 1 comprises a pair of legs 2, 3 integrally connected at one of their respec tive ends by a cross bar 4. The other adjacent ends of the legs 2, 3 terminate in the inwardly extending aligned arms 5, 6 having spaced apart bevelled ends 7, 8 which diverge downwardly as viewed in Figure 2.

The legs 2, 3 converge towards each other from the cross bar 4 and (see Figure 4) taper from their rounded inner sides 9, It} to their blunt outer rounded sides 11, 12. The taper and inner and outer sides continues into the arms 5, 6 to provide smooth rounded inner and outer sides 13, 14 and 15, 16 on the arms.

The cross bar 4 is substantially cylindrical in transverse cross section and is curved downwardly at 17 throughout its length to serve a function to be described.

In application, one of the ends 18 of a conventional bale tie band, indicated generally at 19, is looped over the arm 6 (see Figure 2) and is moved upwardly along the side member 3 and onto the cross bar 4 to assume the position shown in Figure 3. The other tie band end 20 is also looped over the arm 6 and then moved laterally to the left as viewed in Figure 3 to receive therein the arm 5 and to assume the position as shown in Figure 3.

It is important to note that this improved buckle 1 does not present sharp edges which might cut the tie band, and additionally that by constructing the buckle from drawn steel wire there is little if any possibility that the buckle will offer portions thereof which Will snag in the band.

Attention is also directed to the function of the inwardly bent portion 17 of the cross bar 4. It will be understood that the forces exerted on the buckle 1 in opposite directions will cause the portion 17 to straighten out and thereby effect inward movement of the arms 5, 6 toward each other thereby precluding any possibility of the buckle slipping out of the opening between the arms 5 and 6.

Additionally, it is pointed out that by flattening and tapering the opposite sides of the legs 2, 3 and the arms,

5, 6, the buckle 1 is given strength throughout not ob-- tainable from conventional buckles. It should also be noted that the inclined planes of the arm ends 7, 8 facilitate the tieing of the buckle 1.

Having described and illustrated one embodiment of this invention in detail, it is to be understood that the same is ofiered by Way of example, and that the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bale tie band buckle, a generally C-shaped body of relatively rigid and 'flexible drawn steel wire comprising a cross bar terminating at its ends in laterally spaced legs, said legs being converging in a direction away from said cross bar, the ends of the legs remote from the cross bar terminating in laterally inwardly extending arms having inward ends, said arms being in longitudinal alignment with each other across said body and the inward ends of the arms being spaced from each other, said cross bar being curved throughout its length in a direction toward said arms in a manner to produce movement of said legs toward each other and reduce the space between the inward ends of the legs whenever bale-compressing pull is exerted in opposite direction by bale tie bands engaged on said cross bar and on said arms.

2. In a bale tie band buckle, a generally C-shaped body of relatively rigid and flexible drawn steel wire comprising a crossbar terminating at its ends in laterally spaced legs, said legs being converging in a direction away from said crossbar, the ends of the legs remote from the cross bar terminating in laterally inwardly extending arms having inward ends, said arms being in longitudinal alignment with each other across said body and the inward ends of the arms being spaced from each other, said cross bar being curved throughout its length in a direction toward said arms in a manner to produce movement of said legs toward each other and reduce the space be- 4 tween the inward ends of the legs whenever bale-compressing pull is exerted in opposite direction by bale tie bands engaged on said cross bar and on said arms, said inward ends of the arms being beveled to provide surfaces diverging away from said cross bar facilitating entry of a bale tie band into the buckle and onto said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 70,452 Merritt Nov. 5, 1867 116,925 Brodie Iulyll, 1871 1,192,817 Horsley July 25, 1916 1,366,357 Childress IanJZ-S, 1921 

